


Superstar In You

by DimensionTripperHanayo



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!, Zombieland Saga (Anime), 普通の女子校生がやってみた。 | Futsuu no Joshikousei ga Locodol Yattemita (Anime)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2019-09-20 16:39:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 20,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17026296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DimensionTripperHanayo/pseuds/DimensionTripperHanayo
Summary: Due to an accident during the second love live, Muse lost the chance to compete and Honoka blames herself. With a new chance to redeem herself she goes to gather all the members of muse for a new challenge.(Features some Love Live Sunshine, Bang Dream, Zombieland saga and Futsū no Joshikōsei ga Locodol Yattemita but mainly Love Live School Idol Project).





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Will include Love Live Sunshine, Zombieland saga, Bang Dream and Futsū no Joshikōsei ga Locodol Yattemita in the next chapter.

“Thank you, come again.” Honoka smiled widely as she waved to the leaving customers who often bought from her mother’s bakery. She thought it would have probably been a good idea to learn the names of the customers who visited the most but she had never gotten around to it. She had only been working in the bakery for a month or two after she’d finished University. As far as she knew, everyone else from Muse had went their own ways and gotten jobs. She didn’t know what Eli was doing but she knew Kotori had made her own clothing design business.

She let out a long sigh as she looked below the counter towards a picture of her and the rest of Muse after they won the first round of the Love Live. Since the first performance with Kotori and Umi, she had always wanted to be an idol and that hadn’t changed. But she wasn’t in school anymore and she doubted anyone would want to watch her on her own.

“Umm, excuse me?” 

Honoka furrowed her brow at the sound of a voice and looked up towards the entrance of the bakery. A girl with shoulder length blonde hair stood at the door, gently knocking on the wooden door frame before she took a step in. “Hi, welcome to…”

“Sorry, but I’m not buying anything.” The girl held her hands out in front of her, an awkward smile on her face. “Umm, my name is Akari. The people I work for were wondering if we could put this poster up outside?”

“What is it?” Honoka inquired, accepting one of the posters Akari held out towards her. It was about the size of any of her posters upstairs in her room. She frowned as she started to read the poster with the title ‘Battle of Music’ catching her attention first. “The Battle of Music? What is it?”

Akari tilted her head in confusion. “It’s where bands, Idols and everything in between all come together to see who is the best with the winner getting a prize. To be honest, I’m surprised the leader of Muse hadn’t heard about it.”

Honoka flinched at the mention of Muse and looked up from the poster. “You knew who I am?”

“Of course. I was a big fan and our boss specifically asked for our poster to be put up around here in hope Muse would join.” Akari smiled before she shook her head, collecting her thoughts. “Ah, sorry but I gotta run. I’m heading to Suruga bay next to find another group. I hope you join, bye Kurosawa-san!”

“B-bye.” Honoka hummed to herself as she looked over the poster. The first thought that came to her mind was that she was too old. She doubt anyone would want to watch an old school idol trying to reclaim the glory of their youth. She shook her head, getting the thoughts out of her head. She wasn’t that old. She was only 20 years old. “What would you do…” 

Honoka trailed off as she remembered why she wasn’t in any special kind of relationship. She was close to start dating Umi and Eli but handled it badly. It had been 2 years since she last spoke to any of the members of Muse. Even if she did want to do the competition, there was a strong possibility that the others from Muse wouldn’t. She wouldn’t blame Eli or Umi if they didn’t want anything to do with her. 

She looked towards her phone and let out a long sigh. She had to talk to someone from Muse about this but who could she turn to. A small smile tugged at her lips as she remembered someone she use to spend most of her time with. She just had to wait for her shift to end.

 

\---

“How’s this, Ichinose-chan?” Kotori questioned as she held the jacket up to the black twin tailed girl with a smile on her face. She had been making a costume for what looked like three girls and two men for a few weeks but had no idea what they were for. They reminded her of when she used to make costumes for Muse. “Are you going to tell me more about what these costumes are for?”

“They’re just outfits for this competition I’m entering with my friends.” The girl replied, looking back to a frowning Kotori. She knew the ashen haired fashion designer wanted more information but she had been told to stay quiet by her friend. “Sorry Minami-san, but my lips are sealed.” 

“Well, maybe I’ll have to try harder to unseal them.” Kotori smiled, whispering intimately into the black haired girls ear. “After all it’s far from a bad time to spend my night.”

The girl smiled, trying her best to hide her embarrassment under the smile. “Oh, Minimi-san. I dare think you’re flirting with me? Do you flirt with all of your customers?”

“Only the attractive ones.” Kotori rested her head on the slightly smaller girl’s shoulder before something at the entrance of the room caught her attention. She narrowed her eyes as she realised it was Honoka at the door. “Sorry but we’ll have to continue this some other time. You’re costumes will be ready tomorrow.”

“Kotori?” The girl turned around with worry in her voice. She followed Kotori’s gaze towards the orange haired girl and slowly nodded. “O-okay. Thanks for your work.”

The girl quickly made her way over to the door, stopping short of Honoka. “Excuse me.”

Honoka frowned in confusion at the girl’s sudden tone shift. She sounded angry at her for some reason. Honoka moved quickly to the side, still looking towards Kotori as the ashen haired girl returned the material she had been using to the correct place on a shelf. “Sorry.”

Honoka took a hesitant step into the room after shutting the door behind her and looked towards Kotori. “H-hi Kotori-chan?”

“Oh, hi Honoka-chan. What are you doing here?” Kotori inquired as she turned away from the orange haired girl. Even if she had reunited with her best friend, she still had a job to do. She still had to make outfits for her client. There were five in total, all different sizes with different coloured large Heart insignia printed on the back of the jackets . They reminded her of when she used to make the clothes Muse would wear for their performances.

“You...aren’t angry at me?” Honoka questioned hesitantly, rubbing her arm as she looked towards Kotori. She knew she left things with everyone from Muse on bad terms and she fully expected Kotori to be one of the people who hated her. It was a pleasant surprise to see that after two years Kotori was still her best friend. 

Kotori looked towards Honoka for a moment before she turned back to her work. If she thought about it from Honoka’s perspective, she could see how the orange haired girl would be worried that everyone one from Muse hated her. Kotori closer her eyes as she remembered waiting for Honoka with the rest of Muse.

“Don’t worry Hanayo-chan. She’ll make it.” Kotori tried her best to reassure the first year but she couldn’t help her own fears from getting in the way. She had been messaging Honoka for about 5 minutes asking her is she would have arrived on time. Each time Honoka said that she would and that she was trying her best to get to the Love Live. The only problem was that she had stayed over with her father who lived in a part of Akihabara she didn’t recognise. 

“Second call for Muse. Please make your way on stage. This is the second warning.”

Nico glared at the announcer, making him back away from the group. “I’ll go tell them we need more time. Kotori, tell the moron to get her arse here!”

“I am. Wait…” Kotori trailed off as her phone started ringing with Honoka’s id coming up. She quickly answered the phone and put it on speaker as everyone besides Nico gathered around. “Honoka-chan, where are you?”

“I’m...I don’t...know.” Honoka answered with very heavy breath. “I’m looking...at the signs…”

Everyone’s eyes widened as Honoka suddenly went silent with the sound of tires screeching to a stop echoing through the phone.

“Honoka!” 

“Honoka-chan!”

Everyone from Mused besides Nico who was away yelled in unison but the orange haired girl didn’t reply. They didn’t know what to do. The Love Live didn’t matter anymore. Only Honoka did, but they had no idea where she was. 

“We need to go look for her, nya.” Rin announced as she stood up off the floor next to Hanayo, getting everyone’s attention. “She was still in Akihabara, nya. If we all look in different areas we’ll be sure to find…”

“Excuse me?”

Everyone’s attention snapped to Kotori’s phone at the sound of an old woman’s voice. Why did an old woman have Honoka’s phone.

“Who is this? Where is Honoka-chan?” Kotori questioned quickly, her loud voice getting the attention of Nico who was all the way on the other side of the back stage.

“I was passing by when an orange haired girl sprinted out onto the road. She didn’t see the car in time to get out the way.” The old woman answered with a shaky voice. “The paramedics are putting her into the back of an ambulance. Oh, I have to give the phone. Sorry, but I have to go.”

“Wait!...” Kotori yelled with a shaky voice as the line went dead. She turned towards everyone else with tears in her eyes, taking a deep breath. “We need to get to the hospital.”

“I’ll tell them we’re not going out, Nya.” Rin moved past the other members of Muse and sprinted to the other side of the backstage where Nico and the person in charge was.

“No, why would I?...Okay, I’m a little annoyed but that’s because you haven’t sent me a message in two years.” Kotori pointed before holding up one of the jacket’s, getting a better view of the back. “I was worried, Honoka-chan.”

“I-I’m sorry for worrying you.” Honoka replied softly, taking a step closer. She looked around the large room, surprised Kotori was the only one working there. “How is the clothing line going?”

“Good. I’ve got a few clients who keep on coming back and it’s expected for business to be slow at the beginning.” Kotori smiled before she moved out from where she was standing and over to Honoka with the jacket in her hand. “Actually, you’re the size of one of them. Could you put this one?”

“Sure.” Honoka smiled, laying the poster for the competition she brought with her on the desk. She took ahold of the jacket, quickly pushing her arms through the sleeves. To her surprise the jacket was very easy to move in despite it being made of leather. Maybe it was because of the holes Kotori had cut in the shoulders.

Kotori stepped closer, zipping up the front of the jacket. “How is it? Not too tight anywhere?”

“N-not really, well it’s a little tight around the...chest area.” Honoka jumped as Kotori rested her hand suddenly on the orange haired girl’s stomach. 

“This area or…” Kotori smirked, slowly raising her hand up the jacket. She stopped eventually directly over Honoka’s breasts. “...Or this area?”

“I-I...Well...The second one.” Honoka stuttered as Kotori smiled widely, retracting her hand away from her best friend. “That wasn’t fair! I wasn’t ready.”

“Ha, I’ve missed you.” Kotori turned around and furrowed her brow in confusion at the poster on the table. Somehow the poster had opened up showing the full advertisement for the competition. “Battle of Music? Is this the reason why you came over?”

Honoka looked up with her face still burning red as she slowly removed the jacket, resting it on the table next to her. “Yeah, It’s how I’m going to make things right with everyone.”

“Right? Honoka-chan, It wasn’t your fault you got ran over?” Kotori replied with a furrowed brow, turning towards her best friend. “Nico was just angry when she blamed you so don’t worry about it.”

“Well, even if it isn’t my fault I still want to do this with everyone.” Honoka pulled her orange hoodie down over her head before she turned to the poster, pointing towards a line of text. “It says it will be done on a live stage, just like the Love Live. If we do this, we can finally be on a bright stage together.”

Kotori smiled as Honoka turned towards her, determination in her blue eyes. “You’re serious about this?”

“Very serious.” Honoka nodded before she let out a long sigh, resting her head on top of the poster as her stomach let out a low growl. “I missed dinner by coming here, do you have something to eat?”

“You’re hopeless.” Kotori sighed and made her way towards the desk she was working at when Honoka entered, grabbing she sandwich she was saving for later. “Here, my friend gave me this but you need it more.”

“A friend?” Honoka questioned as she stood up right again, thinking about the black twin tailed girl who walked out as she entered. She was about to speak again when the sandwich hit her in the forehead, making her stumble back. “Ow!”

Kotori smiled and walked back towards her best friend, trying her best to keep her laughter in. “Are you okay, Honoka-chan? The last thing you need is more injuries.” 

“Hahah, so funny!” Honoka snapped, sinking her teeth into the cheese sandwich. “Who was that girl who walked out when I got here?”

“My...client.” Kotori answered, picking up the jacket at the mention of the girl. “She’s the one these jackets are for.”

Honoka smirked and slid closer to the ashen haired girl, playfully nudging her. “Are you sure she’s only a client? Or is that how you treat all of your clients?”

“Fine, she’s more than that. We’ve...slept with each other occasionally. She’s like a friend...with benefits.” Kotori answered honestly, not surprised her answer caught Honoka off guard. “Are you sure about this Honoka-chan? Getting everyone back together?”

“I’m serious about this Kotori-chan. And i’ve made a list of who we’re going to first. Next is Maki-chan.” Honoka frowned in confusion as Kotori hissed at the idea, taking a step back. “Is everything okay?”

“Me and Maki-chan didn’t leave things on good terms.” Kotori answered before she let out a long sigh, knowing the orange haired girl would want to know more. “Maki-chan said she loved me and I didn’t say anything back. I got scared.”

Honoka smiled, resting her hand on Kotori’s shoulder. “You two were perfect for each other. If we go see her, you can give her your answer.”

Kotori smiled softly at the thought and quickly wrapped her best friend in a warm embrace. “Thanks Honoka-chan. I’ll call her now.”

Honoka nodded and took a seat. She watched as Kotori rushed back towards the table she got the sandwich from, grabbing her phone from inside it. “Good luck.”

Kotori turned back and smiled before she put the phone to her ear. “H-hi Maki-chan, it’s me...oh...could we meet up?...Great, we’ll meet you at the hospital.”

“Hospital?” Honoka tilted her head in confusion as Kotori ended the call, turning back towards her. “Why are we going to the hospital?”

“Because Maki-chan’s a doctor now.” Kotori answered with a furrowed brow. She knew Honoka had kept to herself through University but she was surprised no one told her about Maki. “Let’s go, I’ll explain as we walk.”

Honoka nodded and followed the ashen haired girl out the large room, waiting for a moment as Kotori locked the door behind them. She wondered what job people like Eli or Hanayo had. She hated the fact that she barely knew her closest friends anymore.

\---

Honoka smiled as she waited in the hospital’s waiting room with Kotori in the seat beside her. “Once upon a time when I was young. I was a dreamer, true believer, nothing could stop me.”

Kotori turned to the side and furrowed her brow in confusion as Honoka’s sudden singing. She was sure she recognized the song but knew it wasn’t one of theirs. “I had my own adventures that my mind made up I was my hero, my happy ending I knew where I belonged, yeah.”

“Ha, you know the song!” Honoka exclaimed happily, trying to think of anyway to entertain herself. They were apparently waiting for Maki to finish with a patient. 

“SHHH!”

Honoka smiled awkwardly at the receptionist and turned back to Kotori, running her hand through the back of her hair. “I guess I was too loud.”

“Maybe just a bit, Honoka-chan.” Kotori let out a soft sigh before she heard the door to her left open and turned towards it.

Maki stood at the door in a doctor’s lab coat, looking into her room for the next patient. She turned to the side and frowned in confusion as the only signs of life she saw was from Honoka, Kotori and the receptionist. Everyone else had already been seen too. “What are you two doing here?”

“Great to see you too, Maki-chan. I’m glad you missed us.” Kotori retorted before she stood up with Honoka close behind her. “Do you mind if we talk?”

“Urm...sure, I guess. It’s not like I’m busy with anyone.” Maki answered before she returned to the room she was in before, leaving the door open so Honoka and Kotori could follow. It was the first time she had seen Kotori in such a long time and she was surprised Honoka was there. The last time she saw the leader of Muse was when she left Muse after the accident.

“Thanks for seeing us, Maki-chan.” Honoka smiled softly, shutting the door behind her. She had never imagined Maki becoming a doctor but now that she sees her as one she couldn’t imagine the red haired girl as anything else.

Maki nodded before she opened the draw on her desk and pulled out a clipboard. “It’s fine. How’s your side?”

Honoka shied away from the question and instinctively rested her hand on her side. “It’s...fine. Tingles a little when I do stretches but not enough to be considered pain.”

Maki nodded again and quickly noted down Honoka's answer on the clipboard. She placed it onto the table before turning her attention to Honoka. “You still haven’t shown me the scar yet. Do you mind?”

“I-I…” Honoka stuttered as she took a step back, slowly shaking her head. “I would prefer if you didn’t…”

Kotori frowned in confusion as she noticed Honoka was acting a way she had never acted before. She was being shy. Honoka was known for being loud and outgoing but being shy was something Hanayo was known for. It was strange seeing it on Honoka. “Are you okay, Honoka-chan?”

“I’m fine. I just don’t want people to see my scar.” Honoka answered quickly before she pulled the poster out of her bag, trying her best to change the subject. “Urm, look at this!”

Maki frowned but chose to drop the subject and look at the poster Honoka was resting on the desk. She knew Honoka hadn’t shown anyone the scar, not even Yukiho or Umi and Eli and they were the people she was closest with. “What’s this?”

“It’s a competition I want us to enter.” Honoka answered with a large smile, getting back to her usual self. She could easily see that there was tension between Kotori and Maki but she hoped they would work things out. She remembered what the two of them use to be a perfect couple. “What do you think?”

“No.” Maki answered coldly before she turned her attention away from the two girls and towards anything else she could find which happened to be bottles of medicine in her carbonite. “I’m not an idol anymore and I don’t want to be.”

“What? Why?” Honoka questioned in confusion, sitting down on the nearby stool. She knew people like Nico might have not wanted to join up again but she didn't expect Maki not to. Maki was one of the members of Muse that loved singing and making the songs.

“I’m a doctor, Honoka. I have a duty of care to the people who come to me for help.” Maki replied sharply before her attention shifted to Kotori who was busy pouring something from a flask into a plastic cup. “Kotori, what are you doing?”

“I’m thirsty. So I’m getting a drink from my flask. Why? Do you want some?” Kotori smiled and moved over to the defiant redhead, offering her the plastic cup she was filling up a moment ago. “It’s herbal tea. I’m not bragging but I think I made a good cup of tea.”

Maki let out a long sigh before she accepted the cup, hissing in pain as she realised how hot it was. “Thanks for the warning, Kotori.”

“You can see the steam coming off it, Maki-chan.” Kotori smiled softly before she took the cup back off her and rested it on the desk. “Let me see your hand.”

Maki frowned in irritation before she quickly turned to Honoka. “Honoka, could you give us the room for a minute?”

“It’s not my room to give.” Honoka replied before she noticed Maki glaring at her. “Oh, you mean leave...right.”

Honoka tilted her head but decided not to question it. She nodded and moved to the door, shutting it behind her so Maki and Kotori had their privacy. She didn’t know why Maki had asked her to leave the room but hoped Kotori would get the pianist to change her mind. 

“You’re doing that thing again, Maki-chan.” Kotori chuckled to herself, gently blowing on the tea a couple of times.

Maki frowned in confusion as she glanced down at her hand. It was only red so she wasn’t going to need any bandages or any other kind of treatment. “I’m doing what?”

“Being a Tsun.” Kotori pushed the cup gently towards Maki, gesturing for her to have it. “It should be cool enough now.”

“Thanks.” Maki hummed before taking a sip of the tea, resting it back down on the desk a moment later. She wasn’t going to tell Kotori but the tea was actually really good. “So what are you doing here?”

Kotori furrowed her brow in confusion. “We said before, the competition…”

“That’s what Honoka is here for. What are you here for?” Maki interrupted, catching Kotori off guard. “You could have went to anyone else first but you came to me, why? You’ve made it clear we don’t feel…”

“That’s not true.”

Maki flinched at Kotori’s sudden outburst before the ashen haired girl covered her mouth. “How isn’t it?”

“I did...I mean, I do care for you but when you said you loved me...I got scared.” Kotori spoke softly, nervously playing with her fingers as she tried to best not to cry. “I brought up a lot of baggage about my father.”

Maki sat up at the mention of Kotori’s dad. When they were together she never talked about her father or about why her mother wasn’t with anyone. “Your father?”

“When I was little, my father used to act so loving in front of other people like Honoka-chan and Umi-chan...but when we were alone, he was different.” Kotori took in a deep breath and cleared her throat before she continued talking. “He used to say I was nothing, a waste of space. Eventually my mother had enough and we ran away together.”

“I-I’m sorry, Kotori.” Maki didn’t really know what to say. She had dated Kotori for an entire year but she didn’t even begin to think that was why Kotori’s dad wasn’t around. “If you don’t mind me asking. How did that have anything to do with me telling you how I felt.”

“When you told me you loved me, the memories of my father quickly resurfaces and I started thinking that I wasn’t good enough for you. You’re smart, attractive, funny, attractive…”

Maki smiled awkwardly as her cheeks went rose. “You already said attractive.”

“Listen, Maki-chan.” Kotori breath shuddered as she pulled the stool she was sitting on closer to the red haired doctor. “I know I messed up before but this really means alot to Honoka-chan. She’s trying to give everyone the Love Live performance they missed out on. And who knows, maybe after that we could...start again?”

Maki nodded slowly with a soft smile as she stood up, walking quietly towards the door. With a sudden tug, the door swung open and Honoka dropped inside the room. “That would be nice. Did you hear that Honoka, I’m doing your competition with you.”

“Yay!” Honoka smiled widely and jumped up off the floor, wrapping arms tightly around Maki. “Thank you Maki-chan!”

“Stop with the hugging!” Maki yelled before she noticed Kotori had started laughing. She remembered loving seeing the ashen haired girl smile. “Who do we go to next?”

Honoka flinched at the question and quickly let go of Maki, checking the time on her phone. “Where does Nozomi work?”

“She works in Mitsui memorial hospital. I guess if we want Eli to join she’ll probably be the best chance we got.” Maki nodded as she moved away from Honoka, surprised to see Kotori by her side.

“Then I guess we better start walking.” Kotori smiled and handed Maki the cup of tea, letting the doctor drinking it before she returned the empty cup and flash into her backpack. “Off we go. Three out of nine.”

\---

“What’s wrong?” Kotori asked in confusion as she noticed Honoka hesitate outside of Nozomi’s office. Ahead of them, Maki paused and turned to look at them too. “Are you nervous? It’s just Nozomi-chan.”

“I haven’t seen her or spoken to her in two years.” Honoka replied quietly, her gaze fixated to the door in front of her. “What am I meant to say to her? What if she’s angry with me for not contacting her? She called me so many times…”

“It’s Nozomi-chan.” Kotori said, lightly placing her hand upon Honoka’s shoulder. “She’ll understand. Besides, you said yourself that you need to do this, right? To make amends.”

“Even though you don’t have anything to make amends for.” Maki said pointedly, raising an eyebrow. “Maybe you’ll actually listen if Nozomi tells you that. Screw it, I’m knocking.”

“Wait, but…” Honoka trailed off as Maki turned back to the door and knocked on it, twice. “I wasn’t ready, Maki-chan!”

Maki rolled her eyes. “You would have never been read. There’s only one person who can talk you out of...whatever this is and she’s right behind that door.”

Just as Maki finished speaking, the door to Nozomi’s office opened and Nozomi herself appeared in the doorway. She looked briefly unsurprised to see Maki standing there before her eyes flitter to Honoka and they widened in surprise. “Honoka-chan?”

“H-Hi, Nozomi-chan.” Honoka smiled weakly at Nozomi. She had felt terrible for ignoring Nozomi when she had tried to reach out to her following the accident but she hadn’t known what to say after she had ruined their chances. “How are you? You um...look taller.”

Maki grimaced, sharing a look with Kotori who merely shrugged in response.

“Am I taller?” Nozomi echoed, clearly perplexed by the question. “You haven’t spoken to me in two years and your only question is...am I taller?”

“Well...when you put it like that…” Honoka shifted uncomfortable. She didn’t know how to read Nozomi’s expression. She couldn’t tell whether Nozomi was angry or not. Her question was soon answered as the older girl strode forward. Honoka flinched, certain a slap was coming her way. It was nothing she didn’t deserve after how she had treated Nozomi following the accident. 

She braced herself for it, her eyes closing but instead of a slap she felt arms go around her and found herself wrapped in a warm embrace. Her eyes snapped open in surprise and over Nozomi’s shoulder she saw Kotori and Maki smirking knowingly. 

“W-Wha…?”

“I was worried about you!” Nozomi exclaimed as she pulled back, still clutching Honoka’s shoulders. “I can’t believe you didn’t call any of us in TWO YEARS. Where have you been? Wait, why are you back now?”

“Um...that’s kind of why I’m here. To make amends for disappearing.” Honoka answered, glancing briefly at Maki and Kotori. “There’s a competition I want to enter. A battle of music competition. I know we’re not idols anymore but I thought that if this could bring Muse back together, we…”

“I’ll do it.” 

“But if we...wait, you’ll do it?” Honoka’s eyes widened in surprise. She had prepared herself for having to argue her case. “Really?”

“Why wouldn’t I want to bring Muse back together?” Nozomi asked pointedly, raising an eyebrow. “Just let me get my things and we can go. I assume you’re getting the group back together? Who’s next?”

“Um...Hanayo-chan?” Honoka answered hesitantly as Nozomi walked back into her office. She turned to Kotori and Maki, neither of whom looked surprised. 

“It’s Nozomi.” Kotori answered Honoka’s confused look with a shrug. “She loved Muse.”

“Right…” Honoka mumbled, a wave of guilt washing over her. She had ruined that. Not intentionally but it had been her fault. She clenched her fist in determination. She had to make up for it somehow. 

\---

“This feels nice.” Honoka smiled widely as she laid back onto the grassy field with Kotori next to her, stretching her arms out as she looked towards the main University building. “This is really where Hanayo-chan goes to university?”

“No, I told you that so you could sit on a hill in a university. Of course she does.” Maki answered in a sarcastic tone as she looked up from the book she was reading. Hanayo’s lecture was still ongoing so they had to wait for it to end. 

Nozomi moved closer to Maki and looked over the red haired doctor’s shoulder with a smile on her face. She had missed spending time with the members of Muse and even if Eli or the rest of Muse weren’t there she was still happy. “What are you reading?”

“It’s a book about surgeries.” Maki answered before she looked over to Nozomi, noticing immediately the confused look on her face. “I may be a surgeon, but I’m still a rookie. Anything else I can learn about how things are done will help.”

Nozomi nodded slowly before turning away, checking out the buildings around the university. “I understand. You were always the perfectionist when we were all together. It was the reason you took so long to finish making your songs.”

“But it was also the reason they were so good.” Kotori added with a soft smile before something caught her attention. “Is that Hanayo-chan?”

Maki and the others all turned in unison at Kotori’s question, looking towards the university building. They were a little far away and the girl in front of the lecture hall had longer hair but that was definitely Hanayo.

Kotori flinched as Honoka jumped up off the grass before she even realised Hanayo was there and frowned in confusion. She knew Hanayo was in university but she didn’t know what the younger girl studied. She supposed it was as good as a time to ask her.

“Hanayo-chan!”

Hanayo turned around in confusion, her eyes widening in shock as Honoka stopped next to her with a large smile on her face. “H-Honoka-chan? What are you doing here?”

Honoka tilted her head in confusion as she watched Hanayo fidget with her glasses. “Oh, you started wearing glasses again? I thought you looked really cute without them.”

“T-thanks but I only wore them when we performed or practiced. Eventually I just got used to the contact lenses.” Hanayo smiled softly before she noticed Maki, Kotori and Nozomi standing behind the orange haired girl. “What are you all doing here?”

“We need your help Hanayo-chan.” Kotori added as she took a step closer to Honoka and Hanayo, showing a smaller version of the poster Honoka showed her. “We’re entering a competition and we’re hoping to get everyone back together. It would be great if you joined with us. Just like the old times.”

Hanayo shied away and took a step back, averting her gaze away from Honoka and Kotori. “I-I’m not sure. I haven’t sung anything since we disbanded so I probably sound bad…”

“That’s not true.” Nozomi spoke up, taking a step towards the younger girl. “You had an amazing voice, Hanayo-chan. Not singing for a while isn’t going to ruin that.”

“It would be nice to see everyone again…” Hanayo hummed to herself before looking back towards the university. She had just finished an assignment and there was a couple of weeks before the next one so she guessed she had time. “Umm...okay then. I’ll do it with you.”

“That’s great.” Honoka replied happily, skipping closer to Hanayo so she was in reach. She reached forward and took a gentle hold of Hanayo’s glasses. “You look so adorable now.”

Hanayo smiled softly and turned away, her face burning up. “Thanks Honoka-chan, but I don’t have my contact lenses in.”

Maki turned away, trying to hide her smile. “So that means you can’t see a thing, can you?”

“No. All I see is blurs.” Hanayo answered before she held her arm to her side, making sure she had ahold of the stone pillar next to her just incase she fell over. “Can I please have my glasses back Honoka-chan? I really can’t see anything.”

“Oh, yeah. Stay still.” Honoka nodded before she slowly slid the brown framed glasses back onto Hanayo’s face, letting the younger girl take over. “Do you know where anyone else is?”

“Rin-chan is in this university. I was actually on my way to meet her before you all stopped me so we should probably go there next.” Hanayo quickly looked down at her phone, checking if she had any messages from Rin. As expected, rin had messaged her asking if something happened. She would have been there already if she wasn’t talking to Honoka and the others.

Honoka smiled widely. “Great. I haven’t talked with Rin-chan in ages.”

“You haven’t talk to any of us in ages, Honoka.” Maki added with a long sigh. Even if she didn’t want to say it outright she was still happy she met Honoka, Kotori and the others again after so long. 

\---

“Everything okay, Hoshizora-san?” 

Rin stopped suddenly, beads of sweat dripping from her forehead as she turned around at the mention of her name. She wasn’t surprised to see one of the younger students asking if she was okay. “I’m fine, nya...just a little winded.”

“Okay, I’m heading home then. Bye.” The younger student announced before she grabbed her bag, watching Rin in awe for a moment as the orange haired girl started to continue running around the track once more. She had never seen anyone else run as much as Rin.

Rin stopped suddenly and frowned as she noticed Hanayo standing near the track at the far side, waiting for Rin to get up to her. “There you are, nya. What took so long?”

Hanayo paused for a moment and looked to the side where Honoka and everyone else was hiding, waiting to make an entrance. Almost everyone. Maki wasn’t hiding, she was just moved over there by Nozomi and Kotori. “Yeah...I ran into some old friends.”

“Old friends?” Rin tilted her head in confusion as she stopped short of the brown haired girl and quickly noticed a foot sticking out from the small shed to the side of Hanayo. “Who’s there, nya?”

“Hi Rin-chan.” 

Rin flinched as Honoka stepped out from behind the shed, being the first of the four girl group to greet her. “Honoka-chan? Maki-chan? Kotori-chan? Nozomi-chan? What are you all doing here nya?”

“We’re here for your help.” Kotori answered before she glanced past Rin towards the short brown haired girl Rin was talking to earlier looking at them. “Do you know her?”

Rin frowned in confusion before she turned around, immediately noticing the girl despite her attempts to act like she wasn’t looking. “Oh, it’s Hinata Miyu. I thought she had already left.”

“Hinata?” Maki questioned, resting her chin against her fist. She didn’t know why but that name reminded her of someone she worked with occasionally. “Does she have any relatives in the medical services?”

“I think she has a brother who’s a fireman paramedic.” Rin answered before she waved towards Miyu before she turned back around to the others again. “What do you need my help with anyway nya?”

“Oh yeah. We’re entering a competition as Muse.” Honoka turned towards despite her attention shifting to the short blond haired girl who just started talking to Miyu. “We were hoping you would join again and help us…”

“Okay, nya.” Rin interrupted with a large smile before she held up a finger. “Under one circumstance. If I need to go and do something for any reason, I’m allowed with the exception being the competition rounds.”

Maki nodded slowly before she turned to Honoka and the others. “That’s a good point. I’ll need to do that too.”

“That’s fine.” Nozomi added, putting her phone away. She thought she had gotten a reply to the message she sent Eli but it wasn’t the case. “So adding Rin, that’s only three more people we need to add. Nicochi, Elichi and Umi-chan.”

“Which one do we even go see first, nya?” Rin questioned with a hum before she turned to Hanayo and nodded. “Well, we’ll let you all handle that. Hanayo-chan and I have something we need to do.”

Honoka turned quickly around as Rin and Hanayo started walking away, waving towards the group. “Okay! Meet us at my mom’s shop!”

Maki hummed before she noticed Nozomi was looking at her phone again. As far as she could tell, it was the fourth time the purple haired psychiatrist had checked her phone. “Are you okay Nozomi? You’ve been checking your phone a lot.”

“What? Oh, I’m fine. I was just checking to see if Eli had replied to my texts yet...but she hadn’t.” Nozomi let out a deep sigh before she returned her phone to her pocket. “So, Honoka-chan. Who’s next?”

“Nico-chan.” Honoka answered in a stern voice, taking in a deep breath, Nico, Umi and Eli were the three people she knew she was going to have the most trouble recruiting. It was why she left them for last. “I guess it’s time to bite the bullet. Let’s go find her.”

\---

“How many more pictures, Kei?” Nico let out a long sigh as she took a seat next to the makeup station. Even though she had been working there for two years she was still surprised there were so many different shades of lipsticks there was available. She didn’t really pay much attention to what the makeup artist put onto her but she guessed she had most of the lipsticks on her lips at one point or another.

“Not many more. Just making sure to get your best side.” Kei answered, brushing her short red hair past her ear before she looked up. She frowned in confusion as she noticed Honoka and the others entering the room, trying not to make a noise. She recognised them immediately from a photo Nico kept with her but chose not to talk to them. She was in the middle of a job and she was going to do it as best as she could. “You all stay there.”

Nico frowned at the photographer’s command but decided not to speak up. She took a deep breath before she stood up, returning to the photoshoot. “Okay, let's get this over with.”

Kei nodded before she lowered herself to the floor, getting a good picture of Nico from the bottom. “That’s the spirit.”

Kotori frowned as she turned to the side, noticing a smile on Honoka’s face. “Honoka-chan, don’t…”

“Sneaking mode. Activate.” Honoka whispered before she crouched down, slowly crawling away from where they were told to stay so she could get a better view of Nico. Her eyes widened as she finally noticed Nico but she was nothing like what she was expecting. 

Nico stood in front of a large fluffy white wall with her long black hair let down behind her. She was dressed in a bright yellow summer dress with beige sandals. Nico glanced towards Kei and gasped in shock as she noticed Honoka creeping around behind the scenes. She had no idea what the orange haired girl was doing there or what she wanted but she wasn’t going to let her ruin the job.

“Aaaannnnd done.” Kei smiled as she looked down, fronwing a moment later as Nico rushed past her heading straight towards Honoka. “Oh, you know them?”

“What? Yeah, they’re...friends from school.” Nico answered with a long sigh, turning to Honoka with a frown on her face. “What are you even doing here Honoka? I thought you were done with Muse.”

“That’s not true!” Honoka replied in a firm voice. “Muse is one of the most important things in my life. I...failed everyone though.”

“That’s not true.” Maki added with a long sigh. “We’ve told you this already. It wasn’t your fault you got ran over….”

“But it was.” Honoka turned quickly towards Maki, raising her voice without intending to. “Sorry. But I should have been looking around.”

“You were trying to get back to us in time for the Love Live.” Nozomi added before she turned towards Rin and Hanayo who were over next to Kei looking at the many different types of makeup and cosmetic items available.

“How do I look, nya?” Rin questioned as she turned towards Hanayo with a short dark blue wig on. “I look like Umi if she cut her hair.”

“Oh wow. You do. That’s so weird, I can’t see you as any other hair colour besides orange..” Hanayo smiled softly as she picked up one of the wigs. Unlike rin, she didn’t try putting the wig on. Mainly because she didn’t know how but also because she doubt she would look good in it. Compared to Honoka, Eli, Umi and Kotori who so many fans considered to be the most attractive members of Muse, she would be at the bottom of the list. “We should put them down.”

Kei shook her head and smiled widely. “They don’t belong to me so go ahead and touch everything. It was their own fault leaving them around.”

Nico sighed and turned around, choosing to ignore the rest of the conversation and focus on Honoka again. Over the two years she had gotten to know first hand how weird her photographer was. “So, what do you want me for?”

“A competition.” Honoka answered before she held her hand out with the poster rolled up in her hand. “It’s called the battle of music and I thought it would be a great way for me to redeem myself for ruining the Love Live for everyone.”

“Everyone?” Nico questioned with a snicker. “Are you seriously going to try and get Umi and Eli in the same room as each other? They’ll kill each other.”

“That’s not true, Nicochi.” Nozomi added, taking a step closer to the smaller black haired model. “I’ve known Elichi since I started the school. I’m 100% sure she wouldn’t be hiding a grudge for two years.”

“Really?” Nico questioned with a sceptical tone.

Nozomi nodded seriously. “Yes. 80% sure.”

Kotori tilted her head in confusion as she realised what Nozomi had said. “Did it just go down?”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Nozomi took a deep breath before she smiled again and turned back to Nico. “So, are you joining us?”

“Sure. And if the competition doesn’t work out, at least I would have gotten a first row at either Umi or Eli killing the other. I should bring popcorn.” Nico smiled before she noticed Honoka. For the first time in over two years she saw Honoka look serious, something that even she had to admit was scary. “I’m kidding...mostly.”

“Nico does have a point.” Maki spoke up and turned to Honoka. “We only have Umi and Eli left. You have to choose who we go to first. It’s a choice only you can make.”

“I-I know...I’ve had two years to think about this but the choice is still just as hard to make.” Honoka stuttered before she sat back against the wall, letting herself slide down it. “I-I...love them both still. But I need to choose who to ask first at least.”

\---

“Are you sure she’ll be here, Hanayo-chan?” Honoka questioned for the third time as she took a sip of her coffee, watching the coffee shop she got her coffee from a moment ago on the other end of the road. She hadn’t told anyone besides Hanayo who she had decided to meet first. Umi or Eli.

“Again, Honoka. Yes. This is where I asked her to meet me.” Hanayo answered before taking a sip of the frappuccino she ordered, smiling contently afterwards. “Ah…”

Rin frowned in confusion before she shuffled closer. “It can’t be that nice, nya.”

“Try it.” Hanayo turned to her side, holding the drink to her side towards the orange haired girl. “I’m sure you’ll like it.”

“Okay, thanks.” Rin smiled before accepting the drink, taking a large sip of it through the straw. “Not bad, nya. I might get one.”

Nico sighed and looked towards Maki, not surprised to see the red haired girl was still annoyed at her. Even after two years the girl was still stubborn. “Are you still angry at me?”

Maki turned towards her and nodded. “You actually took half an hour getting popcorn. Why?”

“Because I know as soon as Umi and Eli meet, they’ll be at each other’s throats.” Nico answered with a frown, looking at the drink Maki had in front of her. “What are you drinking anyway? I can smell it from here.”

Maki frowned but decided to answer, knowing that if she didn’t Nico would harp on at her. “Black coffee, why?”

“Urgh. that’s too strong for me.” Nico turned away at the thought of the black coffee. She never understood how people could enjoy something so bitter. 

Nozomi turned back to the cafe and immediately realised who Honoka had picked as soon as she noticed a girl walking out of the shop. A girl with long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. “Elichi…”

Rin flinched as Honoka suddenly stood up, looking towards Eli with a serious expression. “Everyone stay here. I need to do this by myself.”

“I was already but okay.” Nico shrugged, watching Honoka cross the road with extra care than she use to when they were all in school. Getting hit by the car must have made her really cautious of roads ever since.

“Eli-chan!”

Eli frowned and stopped short of the traffic lights, turning towards where she thought the voice came from. Her eyes widened in shock as she noticed Honoka running towards her with everyone else from Muse besides Umi on the other of the road. She wondered why the others didn’t come over but quickly assumed that Honoka told them not to. “Honoka? Why are you here?”

“To talk to you.” Honoka answered with slightly heavy breath. 

“Is this about what happened two years ago?” Eli inquired, taking a sip from her coffee. “Or...is this about something else?”

Honoka shied away as Eli’s second question, understanding what the blonde meant. She was pretty much being asked if she was still being indecisive about how she felt for Eli and Umi and whoever she liked the most. “T-The...first one.”

Eli furrowed her brow as she noticed Honoka awkwardly rubbing her arm, not even looking at her in the eyes. “What happened two years ago wasn’t your fault, Honoka. It wasn’t as if you got run over on purpose.”

“No, I know.”

“What happened to you anyway?” Eli inquired, looking towards Honoka’s side. “Ever since you got the scar from the incident you stopped going to swimming class, you never get dressed in front of anyone anymore and you slowly started to fade away from Muse. Did the accident knock the real Honoka out of you?”

Kotori was about to stand up but stopped as she felt Maki resting her hand on Kotori’s shoulder. She knew she shouldn’t get involved and that Honoka asked them to stay over there, but she couldn’t let Eli talk about her best friend like that.

Honoka clenched her fist and shook her head, looking towards Eli so their eyes met. “I was scared. It was my fault that we didn’t get to compete together in the Love Live. Your final Love Live. It felt like I failed everyone.”

“That’s why?” Eli inquired with soft sigh. She had always wondered why Honoka faded away from the group but she never thought the reason would have been because Honoka thought she failed Muse. “I...I didn’t know.”

“Well...It’s called hiding for a reason.” Honoka smiled awkwardly before she shook her head, getting back on track. “Anyway. That’s not why I’m here, why we’re here.”

Eli frowned and turned to the side, smiling softly as she noticed Nozomi waving towards her. “Why are you all her then?”

“A chance for me to make things right.” Honoka answered with determination burning in her eyes. “I’m getting everyone…”

“I’m in.” 

“I know you don’t want to yet but...what?!” Honoka huffed, turning away. “I had a really good argument too. Why are you agreeing without even knowing what’s going on?”

“Because I’ve seen that look in your eyes. I don’t know what you’re getting everyone for but if it’s got you this fired up then I want to be apart of it with everyone else.” Eli explained before she turned her attention to her phone. “That’s also why I’ve messaged Umi.”

“What?!” Honoka questioned without even meaning to. “Why did you message her? I thought you two didn’t like each other?”

“What? We’re still friends. Why would you think that?”

Honoka took in a deep breath before turning towards Nico with a frown, not surprised to see the black haired girl struggling to hold in her laughter. “What did she say?”

“She wants to meet. Just the three of us, and Kotori.” Eli looked back to her phone, making sure she got the address correct. “She wants to meet us at the park near yours. I have to go deal with some lawyer stuff but I’ll meet you there.”

“Lawyer? Is everything okay?” 

Eli frowned before turning away, getting ready to leave. “No. I’m a lawyer. Anyway, I’ll explain later. Bye.”

Honoka nodded slowly and waved, watching Eli walk away out of sight. It looked like she was the only one who didn’t really get a job. She worked at her mother’s shop but that didn't really count. Everyone had grown up so much in two years.

\---

Umi let out a long sign as she walked into the cafe and out of the rain, pulling her hood down letting her long dark blue hair fall down by her side. 

The older woman behind the counter turned towards the door and smiled widely as she noticed Umi standing there with water dripping from her black leather jacket. “Oh, Umi-chan! It’s been so long since I’ve seen you here. No Honoka-chan or Kotori-chan with you?”

“Umm, not today...or at least not yet. I haven’t talked to them in two years.” Umi smiled weakly, taking her jacket off. “I’m meeting Honoka here soon.”

“Oh, that’s good. Do you want to order now?” 

Umi turned at the mention of food and smiled. “Yes. Work’s kept me too busy to get anything proper to eat. Could I have a...sandwich please?”

The old woman smiled and nodded. “Sure thing dear. Take a seat. I love your hair by the way.”

“T-thanks.” Umi smiled softly before taking a seat at the booth near the entrance. She took ahold of the bottom of her hair and looked down towards it. She had completely forgotten that she got highlights at the tips of her hair and couldn’t even remember when she got them. “I wonder if Honoka will like them…”

Umi shook her head and let out a long sigh. Even after two years she still couldn’t stop thinking about if Honoka would like how she looked. Even if it hadn’t been said, she still knew that she was probably never going to be with Honoka romantically. Eli and herself waited for so long for Honoka to make her choice about who she wanted to be with but the answer never came.

She placed her bag onto the seat next to her and got out her notepad, looking through the pages until she got to the case she was on. She had been asked by a client to look into someone and see if they stole a gold wedding ring. She had been following the man by the name of Nijima Tanaka for the past two weeks but so far she hadn’t seen any sign of it. She thought about telling the client that she hadn’t seen anything but her gut tells her that he has it. Maybe if she could look around the man’s house she’ll be able to find it. She just had to make sure she wasn’t caught.

Umi flinched as the bell above the entrance chimed and looked up. Honoka and Eli walked quickly into the cafe and closed the door behind them, looking around the empty dinner until they noticed Umi. “You guys got here faster than I thought. I thought I could get some work in before you arrived.”

“What’s your job?” Honoka questioned with a smile, shuffling along the booth so she was in front of the window. 

Umi turned towards Honoka and smiled as Eli took a seat too. “I’m a private investigator. Or...I want to be one. Right now I’m not really official but I'm trying to get officalised. I’m waiting for a reply right now.”

“You’re a good investigator too.” Eli added, taking her jacket off. “You’ve helped me out plenty of times in court cases with the evidence you’ve found out.”

“So what did you…”

“Umi-chan!” Honoka yelled before she realised she was being too loud. “What happened to your hair? It’s brighter near the bottom?”

“What? Oh, I got highlights.” Umi frowned as she noticed Honoka getting closer, softly picking up the blue haired girl’s hair. 

“It’s so soft and looks really good.” Honoka smiled before her attention shifted to a plate being rested down on the table in front of Umi. “Food…”

“No.” Umi frowned, taking ahold of her burger in two hands. “I’m starving.” 

“Okay, fair enough.”

Umi let out a long sign before she rested the burger back on the plate and grabbed the nearby knife. She cut the burger into three large parts and handed one of them to Honoka. “Here, but if you make a mess it’s you own fault.”

Honoka nodded quickly, accepting the burger third with a large smile. “Okay. Thank you Umi-chan!”

“It’s fine. Here Eli. I’m sure being a lawyer has kept you too busy to eat too.” Umi turned her attention towards Eli hand handed her the second slice.

Eli signed and accepted the burger. “Thanks and yeah it does. It’s like they want you to be available at every time of the day.”

Umi nodded before she remembered what she was going to ask and took a bite of her burger. It had been so long since she had bacon, probably even before she joined Muse for the first time. Because they had to stay in top form for when they danced and sing she couldn’t eat it anymore. “So what did you two want to talk about? Eli’s message was very...vague.”

Eli frowned in confusion before she swallowed the food she was chewing at the moment. “Vague? What was vague about it?”

“You only said four words, Eli. Honoka, Me, You and Talk. Nothing about what we were going to talk about.” 

Eli smiled as she tried to check her phone. “Sorry but my phone was almost dead when I sent it. Actually it’s completely dead now.”

“We wanted to talk to you about joining Muse again.” Honoka answered bluntly, finishing almost the entire burger section in one bite. “We’re joining a competition called Battle of Music and…”

“Oh, I’ve heard of that.” Umi added before she hummed to herself. “I’m guessing you want me to join you and everyone else in entering this competition?”

Honoka nodded quickly. “That’s right. Please stay yes. Muse just isn’t the same without you Umi-chan.”

Umi frowned for a moment and quickly started flipping through the pages towards the back. At the back was where she liked to write down the different jobs people had offered her. “Okay, but for two reasons. One, I had a request to join it as a job so I’m gonna be getting paid and two, I...I kinda miss singing.”

Honoka smiled and leaned back against the booth’s seat, letting out a long sigh of relief. “Whew. Thank god you said yes.”

Umi furrowed her brow at the question. “Why?”

“Because Hanayo-chan and I had already added a team of nine Muse to the competition.” Honoka smiled awkwardly as she looked towards Umi, not surprised to see the blue haired girl with a frown on her face. “Don’t look at me like that please Umi-chan. I had faith you would join Muse again. You belong with all of us.”

Umi shook her head, letting out a small chuckle. “It’s been two years and you still act the same. I’ve missed you Honoka.”

“Yay! I missed you too!” Honoka smiled widely before she reached for Eli and Umi, wrapping her arms around the two girls and pulled them closer.

“Honoka” Eli let out a long sigh as she leaned back, checking her phone. “Oh, Arisa got back.”

“Arisa?” Honoka questioned. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. I asked her if she could do some research on the others who had already signed up.” Eli answered before checking the message. “Have any of you heard of Nagarekawa girls? Poppin Party? Heart? Aquours?...”

“I’ve heard of them. They have a leader called Chika who’s a lot like Honoka and apparently looks up to her.” Umi explained before finishing her burger, letting out a satisfied sign. It was the first good food she had in a very long time and she was happy it tasted as good as she remembered it. 

Eli nodded before glancing back at her phone. “That’s all she could find out now but there will still probably be more groups yet to join.”

“That’s true.” Umi hummed before she stood up, paying for the burger. “If we are entering this, we should probably get to practicing tomorrow.”

“Oh. I know a place no one uses where we could practice!” Honoka announced as she lifted her hand, getting excited. She knew Umi was right. Their group hadn’t practiced together in over two years and had probably fallen out of sync with each other plue the other groups would be trying their best too. It was going to be very hard to win but that’s what Honoka planned on making Muse do.

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

“How many are we going to see?” Hanayo questioned as she took a seat at the rounded table with the other members of Muse. On the wall to the left of her showed the order of all the groups who applied to be part of the Battle of Music and when they would be performing. “Aquors, Arctic blast, Idols United...there are so many groups in this competition. Do you think we can do it?”

“No. I don’t think we can do it.” Honoka answered with a long sigh before a wide smile spread across her face. “I know we can do it.”

Umi let out an irritated sigh before turning back to the screen. “I want to go see fran...chuchu?”

“That's a strange name but sure. Any more suggestions?” Honoka glossed up and down the tv screen before her eyes locked onto a name she recognized. “A-rise?! They’re in this too?”

“Seriously?” Kotori let out a long sigh before another name stood out, catching her attention. She hadn’t heard of them before but she could of sworn she had heard someone talking about a band named HEART before. “HEART? Let's go see them too.”

“Who? HEART? Never heard of them. I doubt they’re even an idol group.” Nico questioned with a sharp scoff, turning away from the screen.

“It doesn’t matter if they are or not.” Honoka explained before she slowly took a bite from the bread the was hiding, surprised Umi hadn’t noticed. “Akari-san said that the competition was for Idols, bands and everything in between. Anyway, Aqours are starting soon and I want to see them.”

“Oh. I know of Aqours, nya.” Rin announced with a wide smile, lifting her hand into the air. “Their leader, Chika was apparently inspired by you, Honoka-chan.”

“Me?” Honoka questioned in surprise. She knew Muse was famous still but she never expected to actually inspire anyone into making their own idol group. “Well, we should definitely go see them.”

“There aren’t that many bands entering.” Umi pointed out before a name caught her attention. “Poppin’ Party? Wait, or is it PoPiPa? I want to go see them...and they’re on soon.”

“Well, I want to see these.” Nico added, pointing towards one of the names on the list. “Nagarekawa girls. They’re apparently Local Idols.”

Maki frowned in confusion and moved closer to the screen at unintentionally at the same time Kotori, her hand brushing against Kotori’s without her notice. “I know them, I think.”

“R-really?” Kotori questioned with rosy cheeks, looking away before Maki noticed. It had been two years but she still remembered how she use to feel whenever she touched Maki’s skin when they were together. Her eyes widened as Maki tapped onto the screen and the name, making it change to information about the group and images of who was in it. “Wait, you can find out more information about them?! Go back to HEART!”

“It’s too late, they’re too far up.” Eli answered, earning herself a depressed sigh from the ashen haired girl. “Fine, maybe at the end.”

Maki frowned as she looked at the pictures. There were two of them in total and apparently a mascot that wasn’t shown. A long haired blonde and a short haired brunette. “Is the only reason you want to go see them because you have a thing for the blonde?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about?! NEXT!” Nico laughed awkwardly and loudly, leaning across the entire table to touch the back button before swiping as hard as she could through the list so they lost where they were up to.

“Whatever. PoPipPa and slash or Poppin’ Party are about to start. Anyone else coming?” Umi questioned as Kotori and Honoka stood up, moving to her side.

Honoka turned around towards everyone else as Umi and Kotori started walking. “Could you guys look into Arise and how they’re doing?”

“Leave it to us, nya!” Rin nodded before jolting up onto her feet, knocking her orange juice over. “My...juice…”

Nico let out a long sigh as Rin fell her hands and knees, looking down at the floor. “Come on, rin…”

“Shhh.” Rin spoke on a soft voice, raising her hand into the air. “I must grieve...”

Honoka could barely hold in her laughter as she turned away, catching back up to Kotori and Umi. Moments like that was what she missed about Muse the most. Not the singing or dancing even though she did love them but the special moments where they’re all just themselves.

\---

“Thanks for listening!” Kasumi called out to the cheering audience, slightly breathless from singing a few minutes ago. “We’re Poppin’ Party! We hope you enjoyed the…” She paused as her eyes scanned the audience, widening when she saw a familiar face. “K-Kousaka-san! Please wait there, I’ll be down in a second! Thank you all again!”

“You sure have a lot of fans.” Kotori said, leaning close to Honoka. She wasn’t surprised if she was honest. “Do you know who that is?”

Honoka shrugged, clueless. 

“Her name is Toyama Kasumi.” Umi piped up from Honoka’s other side. “She’s the lead singer of the band from what I’ve read but that’s all I know about her. And she told us that before she started singing. Weren’t you two listening?“

Kotori grimaced. “Um...I was texting Maki-chan.”

Umi looked to Honoka who shrugged guiltily. “I was distracted by the girl playing the drums?”

“The girl playing the drums?” Umi echoed, her brow furrowing as she tried to think back. She vaguely remembered a girl with her hair up in a ponytail. She frowned, trying not to think about how similarly Eli used to wear her hair. 

“Kousaka-san! I can’t believe you came to see us!” Kasumi herself appeared in front of the three members of Muse, her face slight with excitement. “I’m Toyama Kasumi, I’m a big fan!”

Honoka gave a nervous chuckle at the compliment. “Oh, thank you. You sounded really good up there.” Her gaze drifted to the two girls standing behind Kasumi. One of the girls she recognized as the other girl playing the guitar and the other was the girl who had caught her attention playing the drums. 

“I’m Yamabuki Saaya.” Saaya introduced herself with a small smile, noticing Honoka looking at her. “I play the drums.”

“I know, I noticed.” Honoka said brightly. “You’re really good.”

“I’m Hanazono Tae.” Tae introduced herself with a slightly over energetic wave. “It’s nice to meet you, Kosuaka-san.”

“You too.” Honoka shook her head, turning to Tae. “Oh sorry, these are my friends. Ko….”

“Minami Kotori and Sonoda Umi.” Kasumi interrupted brightly. “We know. Of course. Muse are famous. Though...you look different, Sonoda-san. Oh, you changed your hair! It looks good.”

“Thank you.” Umi said with a small smile, touching the ends of her hair. 

“Honoka-chan.” Kotori took Honoka by the elbow and tugged her closer, lowering her voice so the others couldn’t hear her. “What about Eli-chan and Umi-chan?”

Honoka frowned at Kotori, confused by the sudden mention of Eli’s name. “What about them?”

“I mean...they’re the ones you have feelings for, aren’t they?” Kotori asked softly, glancing at Umi. She seemed to be busy talking to Kasumi who had stepped closer to look at her hair. “You’re staring at the drummer.”

“I’m not. I just think she’s interesting, that’s all.” Honoka mumbled, averting her eyes. She knew that Kotori could see right through her lies. 

“Is that all? It has nothing to do with the fact that she looks like Eli-chan?” Kotori raised an eyebrow. “Just be careful, that’s all I’m saying. I don’t want this...thing between you and Eli-chan and Umi-chan to change from a love triangle to a love...rectangle. It’s already complicated enough.”

“I know, I know.” Honoka mumbled, rolling her eyes slightly. 

“So are you going to see anyone else?” Kasumi asked brightly, turning her gaze back to Honoka. “We were thinking of going to see HEART next if you want to come.”

“Actually Rimi wanted to go and see Locodol performing so I told her I’d go with her. Arisa is going too.” Saaya said with a regretful grimace. “You can go ahead without us though. We’ll meet back up with you later.”

“Don’t you think it’s odd that the contestants are playing at different places at the same time in some cases?” Umi mentioned, her brow furrowing slightly in thought. “It means that some people won’t get to see all of the performers.”

“That’s just during the day.” Saaya replied knowingly. “Everyone is coming together tonight for the big concert. This way you can go and see the bands you…” She paused as Kotori cleared her throat. “Sorry...or idols, you’re most interested in twice if you want to.”

“I guess that makes sense.” Umi mused thoughtfully. “So we’ll see anyone we missed during the day at the concert tonight.”

“Exactly!” Honoka exclaimed brightly. “Anyway, we should go or we’re going to miss the performance. I think it’s in twenty minutes. It was nice meeting you all. Let’s go, Kasumi-chan!”

Kasumi offered her group a wave before she started to follow Honoka, Umi and Kotori through the crowd to the exit at the back of the room. “I’ll see you back at the hotel!”

\---

“Anju-chan…”

Rin tailed off as she noticed the orange haired A-Rise member pacing around in a small circle but not soon enough to avoid her attention. “Sorry, are we interrupting, nya?”

“N-no.” Anju answered as she watched Rin stop near them with Hanayo and Nico close behind. She closed her eyes before taking a deep breath, putting on a happy facade in front of the three Muse idols. “What are you guys doing here?”

“We...noticed you entered the competition and wanted to know how you were doing.” Hanayo answered as her attention shifted to the other two members of A-Rise. She wasn’t able to watch for long before Rin got their attention but it looked like they were all scared even if Tsubasa and Erena were trying to hide it.

“We?” Tsubasa inquired. “Does that mean that Muse is back together?”

“Yup!” Rin smiled widely as she held her competitor’s pass up towards A-Rise. “We all got these things.”

“We know. We...got them too.” Erena smiled and slowly shook her head before she noticed Tsubasa looking around. “What’s wrong, Tsubasa?”

“What?! Nnnnnnothing.” Tsubasa smiled awkwardly. She let out a long sigh as the other members frowned, seeing easily through her facade. “Okay, fine! I was just wondering if Honoka was here?”

“She’s looking at other bands with Kotori and Umi. Do you want some advice?” Nico finally spoke up, her arms crossed in front of her as she leaned against the wall. “Honoka’s love life is as tangled as a ball of yawn. The point is, consider yourself lucky you aren’t with her.”

Tsubasa frowned in confusion but nodded slowly. She didn’t really know what the black haired girl was talking about but chose not to question it. “O-okay?”

Hanayo frowned when she noticed Erena’s smile fade quickly as she turned away. It was clear that there was something on the purple haired girl’s mind. “Are you all okay? Y-you look nervous.”

Erena smiled softly and let out a long sigh. “How obvious were we being?”

“Not very.” Nico answered. “But we have an annoying orange haired girl who has the same look but thinks she’s hiding it.”

“So what’s wrong?” Rin added, hoping whatever was wrong with the girls they could help with. They had all known each other for so long that she hated seeing any of them troubled.

“Well…” Anju took in a deep breath, not really sure how to answer the question. “It’s hard to explain.”

“We performed earlier. The first group to perform in the competition.” Tsubasa answered with a long yawn. “Sorry, I haven’t gotten much sleep. We...we sure that we did badly.”

“What?” Rin questioned in shock before she looked to the other two Muse members next to her. She wasn’t surprised to see they were both in a state of shock, Hanayo more than any other. 

“But you’re better than us.” Nico announced before she noticed she shock expressions from Hanayo and Rin were now pointed at her. “What? It’s the truth.”

“It’s not.” Tsubasa spoke up with a soft smile. “Even if we didn’t want to admit it, the only reason we won the last Love Live was because Muse didn’t perform.”

“Excuse me?”

All six girls frowned in confusion as they heard another voice and turned to the side. Next to Anju stood a slightly taller blue haired boy in a strange sleeveless black leather jacket with a blue heart insignia on the back.

“Yes?” Anju inquired. She flinched as the boy suddenly held a soft tissue towards her.

“Are you okay? You all look upset.” The boy questioned as Anju slowly accepted the tissue, using it to wipe her eyes. Luckily her makeup wasn’t running despite all the crying she had been doing. 

She frowned as she noticed another five tissues behind the one she used. “You certainly have a lot of tissues with you?” She questioned with a small chuckle, not intending to laugh but she couldn’t help it. “Sorry about laughing.”

“It’s fine.” The boy answered with a large smile. “My little sister keeps on giving me them so I have a lot with me.”

“Why don’t you just throw them out?” Nico questioned, surprised by the boy’s shocked expression. “What?”

“Why would I throw them away?” The boy questioned. “Even if it’s as little as a tissue, it’s still a gift so I treasure it.”

Nico nodded slowly before letting out a long sigh. “That’s weird.”

“Chrom! We gotta go!”

“Oh, right.” Chrom nodded quickly before turning his attention back to Anju. “Sorry, I have to run but you can keep the tissues.”

“Thanks...I’ll treasure them.” She replied with a large soft smile, waving as the boy ran off towards a girl the same age as him with brown hair tired back in a ponytail, carrying what looking like a guitar case. “He was nice.”

“Anju’s got a boyfriend?” Tsubasa inquired with a smug grin, leaning closer. She was slightly surprised to see the orange haired girl’s cheeks turn red. “Oh my god, you do like him?!”

“Shut up!” Anju quickly moved towards Tsubasa and covered her mouth. “I don’t like him like that. I...just want to be friends with him. That's all!”

Erena smiled and chuckled to herself. “Aww, that's adorable.”

“Stop it!” Anju yelled before she covered her face, looking away from the other members of A-Rise. She frowned as she peaked through her hands, noticing Hanayo and Rin were still in a state of shock from the news that they didn’t get through. “Just because we didn’t get through doesn’t mean we won’t be back. Anyone who was kicked out of the competition can watch the others.”

Hanayo smiled before her phone started ringing. “Oh, It’s Honoka-chan. Sorry, but we have to go.”

Nico looked at the phone and frowned, following the two other muse members as they walked away. She waited until they got out of listening distance for A-Rise and turned towards Hanayo. “Hanayo. No one called you. You just played your ringtone, why?”

“Because I’m terrified now.” Hanayo answered with a shaky voice. “I thought we might of had a chance but It wouldn't have been hard. But A-Rise thinks they might have been kicked out in the first round. They’re better than us so what hope do we have.”

Rin let out a long sigh before she smiled once more. “I don’t know, nya. But worrying about it isn’t helping either. We should meet back up with Eli-chan and the others and wait for Kotori-chan, Honoka-chan and Umi-chan to come back.”

Hanayo nodded slowly, holding her hands together in an attempt to stop them from shaking. “O-okay.”

\---

Kotori narrowed her eyes as she looked at the stage. She wasn’t close enough to see clearly but she was sure that she recognized the girl on keyboard. The black twintails looked awfully familiar. 

“Kotori-chan. Kotori-chan. KOTORI-CHAN!”

Kotori jerked in surprise as a hand hit her shoulder. She turned, wide-eyed to face Honoka. “W-What was that for?”

“You weren’t listening to me.” Honoka pouted, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “I was asking if you knew that the girl at the microphone is called Saya too. I looked it up online, though it’s spelt differently from Poppin' Party’s Saaya.”

Kotori sighed in disdain. “Honoka-chan, Umi-chan is right here.”

“I know. I told Umi-chan too but I don’t think she wanted to talk about it. Maybe she’s busy talking to Kasumi-chan…”

Kotori shook her head. “You’re so oblivious.”

“Huh?” Honoka frowned in confusion. “What does that mean?”

“Exactly.” Kotori rolled her eyes and went back to what she had been doing a moment ago, her gaze returning to the familiar girl onstage. She couldn’t place where she knew her from, not when the girl was so far away. She watched as the dark haired man at one of the microphones turned his back briefly to the audience to speak to the drummer. Her eyes widened at the sight of the jacket he was wearing. “No way…”

“What?” Honoka asked, narrowing her eyes at the stage in an attempt to see what Kotori was looking at. “What is it?”

“I-I designed those jackets.” Kotori muttered, her stomach sinking at the idea of helping their opponents. “Uni didn’t tell me she was in a band.”

“Uni?” Honoka echoed. “Oh! Isn’t that the girl you were flirting with when I came to ask you to join Muse again?”

Kotori hesitated but she couldn’t deny it. “Uh...yeah. I-I think I might have made the jackets they’re wearing.”

“Seriously?” Kasumi gaped at Kotori. “Maybe you could help my group too. We need new matching t-shirts but jackets might be okay too...I’ll have to ask Arisa-chan.”

“I-I don’t just make clothes for the bands we’re competing against.” Kotori stuttered, her face flushed. “I didn’t know Uni-chan was even in a band. She didn’t tell me.”

“She probably didn’t have time.” Honoka smirked knowingly. 

Umi raised an eyebrow, confused by Honoka’s comment. “What does that mean?”

Kotori felt a brief moment of panic. “Nothi-”

“That Kotori-chan is dating the competition.” Honoka said with a smug smirk. “Or fooling around with them at least. Right, Kotori-chan?”

Kotori grumbled under her breath, shaking her head. 

“I don’t think Kotori would do something like that.” Umi said rationally, her brow furrowed in confusion as she looked over at Kotori. “Kotori?”

“I didn’t mean to!” Kotori exclaimed defensively, turning back to Umi. “I didn’t know she was going to be competing against us. I didn’t even know about the competition until Honoka-chan told me about it!”

“Ssshh, they’re starting!” Honoka said, briefly touching Umi’s arm. She failed to notice the way Umi blushed at the gesture. 

Kotori smirked knowingly at the exchange and turned back to watch the band onstage, curious as to what the performance would be like. She’d had no idea that Uni was in a band. She was surprised to see Uni situating herself behind a keyboard. 

“Obviously not an idol group then.” Honoka murmured thoughtfully as she watched them. 

Umi rolled her eyes. “The two men didn’t give it away?”

“Shhh!” It was Kasumi’s turn to shush the two of them as she stepped forward a little to see better. 

“1, 2, 3, 4.” The drummer counted out, clinking his drumsticks together with every counted out number. Ater the count of number four the music started up and Honoka watched as the two singers at the front shared a nod. 

Her eyes widened as the music picked up. She hadn’t expected them to be a rock band. She wasn’t sure what she had been expecting really but it certainly wasn’t that. 

“She sees them walking in a straight line, that's not really her style, And they all got the same heartbeat, but hers is falling behind…” The male at the front began singing in English, his eyes occasionally flicking toward the brunette girl next to him as he held onto the microphone. 

Kotori found her eyes drawn to the girl on keyboard. She was surprised herself. Uni hadn’t even told her that she was in a band, she’d just said that she needed jackets for her group. If Kotori was honest she had figured that Uni was the type to be in some kind of motorcycle gang. She wondered if Uni spoke English too or whether it was just the dark haired male on vocals. “He’s good.”

"I wish that I could be like the cool kids, 'Cause all the cool kids, they seem to fit in…”

Kotori flinched at the feeling of someone leaning close to her but relaxed when she realized that it was just Honoka. 

“Yeah, They’re really good!” Honoka called into Kotori’s ear, trying to be heard over the man’s singing. 

Kotori winced at the volume but nodded in agreement. She hadn’t expected the group to be as good as they were. The crowd seemed to agreeing, considering how much they were cheering for the group. 

“He sees them talking with a big smile, but they haven't got a clue, Yeah, they're living the good life, can't see what he is going through…”

“Whoa.” Honoka murmured, her eyes widening slightly as the brunette she had recently heard was named Saya began to sing. Her voice was of course softer than the man’s but had a slightly gruff quality to it too. “She’s good too.”

\---

Maki smiled as she took a seat on one of the wooden benches near the competition. Even though she was far away, she could still hear a rock band singing on the stage in Japanese and English. She let out a content sigh and took out the book she had been wanting to read since it came out but thanks to her job she didn’t get any time. “Let’s see what happens in this chapter…”

“Is that Nishikino-san?”

Maki frowned and looked up from her book with a raised eyebrow. She took a quick glance before she returned to her book. 

“Why are we hiding?”

Another voice questioned, making Maki close her book and look in the vague direction she thought the voice was coming from. Just behind a small wall there were two people crouched down with the top of their heads sticking out. One was Dark blue and the other was bright red.

“I can see you two. You may as well come over.” Maki let out a long sigh, returning the book to her bag. To her surprise, two members of Aqours came slowly walking over. “I know you two. You’re Kanan Matsuura and Ruby Kurosawa, right?”

Ruby nodded her head slowly from behind Kanan. “Y-yes. I-it’s nice to meet you.”

“I’m surprised to see you here.” Kanan admitted, stepping out the way so Ruby was next to her. “I thought Muse broke up.”

“We did.” Maki nodded. “But we’re back together for this last competition...probably.”

“Then that means we’re rivals.” Kanan smiled, her hands slipping into her jacket pockets. “Don’t get me wrong. I love the fact that Muse is back together. Chika will be ecstatic. But we’re not going easy on you.”

Maki let out a long sigh before looking towards the two Aquor members. “That’s fine. Doesn’t...mean we can’t be friends too.” Maki groaned, only just realising how much Kotori had rubbed off on her.

“Yeah.” Ruby added, the thought about them being friends bringing her a step closer. “You should meet Yoshiko-chan.”

“Yoshiko?” Maki hummed, the name sounding familiar to her. “Isn’t she the one that talks about her ‘Little demons’?” Maki let out a small sigh as the red haired girl nodded quickly up and down. “I’ll pass, but It was nice to meet the two of you.”

“Likewise.” Kanan nodded before she waved, walking away with Ruby close behind her.

Maki took in a deep breath before she reached back to her bag, grabbing the book once more. “Back to reading.”

\---

“Raven! RAVEN!” Uni growled in annoyance at the fact that the man in question couldn’t hear what she was saying over the cheers of the audience. She stepped out from behind her keyboard and moved forward, grabbing Raven’s arm to pull him back a few steps. 

“Wha…?” Raven’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, Uni. What’s up?”

“It’s her!” Uni exclaimed, nodding toward the crowd. “She’s in the audience! The girl I was telling you about?” She glanced toward Saya to see that her ex was looking at her in slight confusion. She quickly averted her eyes. She couldn’t even imagine Saya finding out about Kotori. 

“Where?!” Raven glanced toward the audience, scanning the area. He had seen a couple of pictures of Kotori. He spotted her in the audience and waved enthusiastically. The girl looked confused for a moment before she hesitantly lifted her hand in a wave. 

“Hey, stop that!” Uni hissed, grabbing Raven’s arm to pull it back down. “Damn it, what is she doing here anyway?”

Raven stared at her for a moment. “Probably competing. You know she’s from Muse, right? The famous idol group? They’re Itsuki’s favourite.”

“What? Wait, are you serious?!” Uni gaped at Raven in shock, her eyes briefly diverting to Kotori who was standing awkwardly in the crowd. “Damn it. Of course she’s an idol. What...what the hell am I going to tell Saya?”

“Why do you need to tell her anything?” Raven asked, raising an eyebrow. “You two aren’t together anymore. Because…?”

“Because they’re idiots.” Chrom piped up, causing Uni to jump in surprise. He held his hands up in a gesture of surrender when she turned to him. “Hey, I’m just saying. You never did tell us the reason you aren’t together. Even though you obviously both want to be.”

“Does it seem to you like she wants to be?!” Uni growled irritably. 

“Uh...hey, Saya let’s go.” Chrom called, quickly edging his way around Uni. “We have that meet and greet thing right after this, remember?”

“What meet and greet?” Raven asked in confusion as he watched Saya walk over to join Chrom. 

“Just something some of the other bands are doing. A meet and greet with fans. We decided to join them. It’s not mandatory or anything like that.” Saya said with a wave of her hand. “Most of the bands aren’t even doing it...or they’re doing something else.”

“I heard one of the bands are selling merchandise.” Izetta piped up quietly as she stepped forward. “Um...Francho or something like that, I think.”

“Maybe we should have merchandise.” Raven remarked, his brow furrowing in thought as he considered that. “T-shirts, bags, phone cases…”

“We don’t need it.” Saya said with a roll of her eyes. She moved away, tugging Chrom by his sleeve. “I’ll see you at the hotel, Uni.”

“R-Right.” Uni said meekly. 

“Uni.” Raven smirked knowingly, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “See? Now let’s go and talk to your other girlfriend!”

“Wait, wha…?!” Uni watched as Raven hopped down off the stage and quickly hurried to Kotori and the others. “Ah, damn it. Come on, Izetta!”

Izetta gasped as Uni grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward toward the edge of the stage. She felt her stomach plummet at the thought that Uni was going to make her jump but thankfully, Uni sat down to slide off the stage instead, allowing Izetta to do the same. 

“Where are we going?” Izetta asked, puzzled as Uni continued to pull her through the crowd. She could see Raven ahead but he had seemed to have stopped already. When they reached him, Uni drew them to a stop too. 

“...Raven. I’m Uni’s friend and bandmate.” Raven seemed to be busy introducing himself, mainly to the blushing girl with ashen hair. “You must be Kotori, right?”

“Um...yeah.” Kotori answered awkwardly, glancing at Uni. 

Uni sighed loudly. “I’m sorry about this. He’s an idiot. Um...this is Izetta.” She nodded toward Izetta who offered a small wave. “Don’t worry, she’s less of an idiot.”

Kotori glanced between them, uncertain of their dynamic. She hadn’t been sure of what Izetta’s reaction would be but the girl seemed somewhat proud of being referred to as less of an idiot. She heard someone clear their throat and glanced to the left to see Honoka waiting expectantly. “Oh! Um, Uni-chan, this is...Honoka-chan and Umi-chan, my friends and um...fellow idols. And this is Kasumi-san, she’s from Poppin’ Party.” She hesitantly looked toward Honoka and Umi. “This is Uni. She’s my friend. And I guess you could say...client.”

“That’s not all you could say.” Raven mumbled, earning himself a sharp elbow to the ribs. “Ah!”

“If you and Kotori-chan are friends you should come with us!” Honoka exclaimed brightly, causing Kotori to grimace. “We’re heading outside to sit with our friends. Oh, maybe the rest of your band could catch up with us too!”

Umi’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Honoka, I’m sure they have better things to d-”

“No, we don’t!” Raven said quickly. He turned to Uni and Izetta. “You two go ahead. I have a couple of things to do first but I’ll catch up. I’ll bring Saya and Chrom too!”

“Are those your bandmates?” Kotori asked Uni, not recognizing the names. 

Uni nodded silently, watching as Raven rushed off. She had no idea where he was going. 

Kotori lightly took hold of Uni’s arm and tugged her a couple of feet away. “If this is weird for you I can make up an excuse or…”

“No. No, it’s fine.” Uni answered, shaking her head. She forced a smile to her face. She wasn’t with Saya now and she had to accept that. And she did like Kotori. There was no reason for her to shy away from her. They weren’t even official. “Let’s go….”

“Okay. Go, go, go, go, go, go!”

Honoka furrowed her brow in confusion as she turned to the right, surprised to see a brown haired man dressed in a red vest and black suit trousers leading seven girls behind him. He had a short black bowtie and wore his suit jacket loosely on his shoulders. “Who’s that?”

“I don’t know.” Izetta added as she finally finished putting her bass guitar in the case with Uni’s help. “Thanks.”

Uni nodded and gently nudged the smaller girl. “Don’t mention it.”

“Kotoro-sama. We need to stop for a minute.” One of the seven girls the man was leading took a step forward towards the man, letting the other members rest for a moment. “Tai’s ankles are almost...well...falling off from walking so much, we need to rest for a little…”

“REST!” The man yelled in a loud and silly voice, bringing his face closer to the red haired girl. “How could you be TIIIIIIIRED? The dead can’t…”

“Stop yelling in her face!” 

 

Everyone’s eyes widened as another one of the seven girls jumped at Kotoro, planting her foot into his face easily knocking him to the ground. She had long blonde hair tired back into a ponytail with red and green streaks running through it. 

“Come on, Sakura. Lets go.” The blonde scoffed before taking ahold of Sakura’s arm, pulling her away from the man with the other members of the group following behind them.

“T-the dirt…” The man started to chant softly to himself, trying his best to pull the little amount of dirt on the floor around him into a neat pile. “T-the dirt...

“Who are they?” Kotori questioned before she took a glance at the book she wrote all the competitors she knew in. “I don’t think I have them in here.”

Uni stopped next to the ashen haired girl and looked towards where they were looking, surprised to see the seven girls. “They’re called Franchuchu…” 

“Bless you.” Honoka added before she turned her attention to the stage where the idol group in question were getting ready to perform.

Uni turned towards the orange haired with with a irritable frown on her face. “  
I didn’t sneeze, it’s their name.”

Kasumi smiled as she looked away from the small group she was with, noticing someone nearby. “Oh, It’s Saaya-chan. HEY, SAAYA-CHAN!”

“What?” Uni questioned out of shock before she ducked behind the smaller Izetta. “Quickly, hide me.”

“Why?” Izetta questioned before she let out a sigh. “You can’t keep avoiding Onii-chan forever. You’re in the same band as each other.”

“I can try.” Uni frowned and stood up right as the Saaya from Poppin' Party walked over to them, stopping short of Kasumi. “Oh, it’s not our Saya.”

“Oh, these are people from other groups in the competition.” Kasumi smiled and turned towards the small group. “Honoka-chan, Kotori-chan and Umi-chan from Muse.”

Saaya smiled awkwardly before she turned towards Kasumi. “I knew your memory was bad but not that bad. We’ve already met Honoka-chan and her friends. Remember, when you called her out on stage.”

“Oh, yeah. Whops.” Kasumi chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head. “Where did Rimi-ri go?”

“She went to talk to her sister. It’s not surprising her family would be here to support her. I’m guessing ours are too.” Saya turned at the sound of someone approaching, surprised she even heard it over the sound of the crowd.

Honoka smiled and walked over to the new Saaya with her hand held out. “It’s nice to meet you again. My name’s Honoka...s-still, but I hope we can be friends despite being rivals in the competition.”

“Honoka-chan.”

“Yes?” Honoka turned towards Kotori with a smile but was met with a less than impressed expression. “Can I help you?”

“Umi-chan is right here. Stop flirting with every girl you meet.” Kotori sighed and moved the orange haired girl back, turning her attention to Saaya. “It’s nice to see you, Saaya-san.”

“Anyway. Next.” Kasumi turned her attention to Izetta and Uni who had a bag of sweets in their hands their eyes widening as they realised everyone noticed. “Where did you get the sweets from?”

“One of our member’s, Chrom’s little sister got them for us. Miyu always get us sweets. It’s funny because she gives us sweets and her brother tissues.” Uni answered, returning the brown bag of sweets before Honoka noticed. “It’s nice to meet you, Saaya.”

“Oh, right.” Kasumi smiled, remembering what she was doing. “This is Uni-chan. Not Umi-chan but Uni-chan, and Izetta-chan from Heart.”

“Heart?” Saaya inquired. “Sorry, but I’ve never heard of you before.”

Izetta smiled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head. “I-It’s fine. W-we get that alot.”

“So are you guys idols too, like Muse?”

“Nope.” Uni shook her head. “We’re a band, like you guys.”

“Guys.” Honoka spoke quieter as the crowd started to get exited. “They’re about to start.”

\---

Eli let out a long sigh of relief and fell backwards onto the large Muse blanket Akari and the people hosting the competition provided. Muse wasn’t the only group who got a blanket. Everyone did, all personalised. She turned around at the sound of footsteps, smiling as Nozomi stood behind with two ice cream corns in her hands. 

“I see you found a spot, Elichi.” Nozomi smiled as she slowly lowered herself onto the large blanket. When she was standing up she thought it wouldn’t have been big enough for everyone else but when she was actually on it her thoughts changed. She and Eli were barely taking up any of the space. “The blanket feels nice. Don’t you think?”

Eli nodded. “Yeah, surprising seeing how it was free. It’s really big too.” Eli frowned as she heard the sound of snickering and turned to the side. Three girls all in a school uniform she didn’t recognize stood a short distance from her and Nozomi, occasionally glancing over at them and laughing. “What are they laughing about?”

Nozomi shrugged, handing the blonde her ice cream. “I don’t know or don’t care. Here, try the Mint chip one.”

Eli tilted her head as she accepted the green ice cream. She took a small lick of it and immediately thrusted it back towards Nozomi, shaking her head quickly. “Ew, ew, ew, ew. No.”

“It’s not that bad.” Nozomi chuckled, taking the ice cream back. She held out the chocolate ice cream she had been hiding by her side in her other hand, smiling as Eli smiled widely. “You should try more than just chocolate.”

“No.” Eli shook her head and licked the ice cream, almost beaming with happiness at the taste. “Chocolate is all I need.” 

Nozomi let out a long sigh before movement caught her attention, making her look past Eli towards one of the girls Eli mentioned walking towards them. “Can we help you?”

Eli frowned in confusion at the question and turned around. She started licking the ice cream faster when she realised the girl was one of the girls who laughed at them a moment ago. 

“Are you Ayasa Eli and Tojo Nozomi?” The girl questioned, frowning a little at the hostile glare she was getting from the blonde.

Eli stopped licking her ice cream for a moment and nodded. “Yes.”

“What are failures of Idols like you two doing here?” The girl questioned as the other two girls she was laughing with made their way over to them. “We expected never to see you idiots again after your failure at the Love Live.”

“I heard their leader threw herself in front of a car just so she didn’t have to perform with them.” One of the other girls added with the three of them bursting out laughing afterwards.

“Hold this please.” Eli frowned in irritation as she stood handed Nozomi her ice cream.

“Elichi…” Nozomi nodded reluctantly and grabbed Eli’s ice cream despite there being hardly any of it left. “Don’t make trouble. We don’t want to be disqualified.”

“I know.” Eli stood up, turning her attention back to the three girls. “Listen. You can talk crap about me, but If you talk about my friend like that again, no one will find your body. Are we clear?”

“Oh, big talk from not only the failure as an idol, but as a dancer too.” One of the girls stepped forward until she was an inch away from Eli. “Come on then, do something to stop me.”

“Hey!”

Everyone frowned in confusion at the unfamiliar voice, surprised to see Saya from Heart stepping in the middle of them. She squeezed in between them, putting her arms out by her side so Eli and the girl weren’t next to each other anymore.

“There’s no need to fight. We’re all here to have fun.” Saya smiled as she looked towards the two agitated woman. “If you don’t like each other, go somewhere else.”

The girl frowned at Saya’s suggestion and glaired towards her. “Who the hell do you think you are telling me what to do? Get out my way before I make you.”

“I think I’m...Saya. And you should really be careful who you threaten.” Saya smiled, looking behind the three girls towards the crimson haired woman behind them. “Otherwise someone will put you in the floor.”

The three girls looked towards each other in confusion before they looked towards where Saya was pointing. Their eyes widened as they finally noticed the crimson haired woman dressed in military camo and the deadly glare she was giving them. “T-this isn’t over!”

Saya nodded before turning here attention to the woman. “Thanks, Hisa. Is Itsuki here?”

Eli blinked in confusion before she took her seat back on the blanket. “I appreciated the backup but who are you two?”

Saya smiled and took a step forward. “Well, My name is Himura Saya, I’m 21 years old an I’m the lead singer in Heart. I like reading Manga and singing obviously but…”

“I don’t think she meant that much information, Saya.” Hisa let out a long sigh as she gently hit the top of the brunettes head. “I’m Evergreen Hisa. What was all that about?”

“With those three? I don’t know. We were just sitting here eating out ice creams when…” Eli tilted her head in confusion for a moment before she started looking for her ice cream before her gaze eventually landed on a suspicious looking Nozomi. “Nozomi. What did you do?”

Nozomi smiled and chuckled. “You were right about chocolate being better than mint chip.”

“That was mine!” Eli compamined before she turned away, pouting before she noticed a blue haired man running towards them dressed in the same way as Saya. “So, I’m guessing he’s another member of Heart?”

Saya frowned and turned around, noticing Chrom stopping near them. “Yeah, this is Chrom. He’s the drummer in our group.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Chrom nodded and bowed politely before turning his attention to the leader of Heart. “Thanks for just leaving me behind.”

“I’m sorry, I thought I heard arguments and I did.” Saya smiled before she gestured towards Eli. “I don’t really know what happened, but she was arguing with someone so I tried to stop them.”

Chrom sighed and shook his head, only just noticing Hisa near them. “Oh, hi Hisa. Raven’s away with some other members of Muse.”

“We’re here!”

Eli frowned as she recognized the voice, surprised to see Honoka running over to them with a small group of people walking behind her. Out of them all, she only recognised Honoka, Umi and Kotori. “Honoka? I thought you were watching other bands?”

“We did, but then we decided to check on you.” Honoka smiled before she turned towards the group of people who just caught up to her. “Right, introduction time. So, This is Kasumi-san from Poppin' party.”

“Poppin' Party? What type of group are you?” Nozomi inquired before she noticed the guitar case on Kasumi’s back. “I’m guessing a band.”

“Yup.” Kasumi nodded with a large smile. “I’m the lead singer with Saaya-chan...not that one, is our drumber, Rimi-ri is our bassist, O-Tai is our guitarist and Arisa-chan is our pianist.”

Eli turned around and frowned at the familiar name. “Arisa’s in a band?”

Nozomi chuckled and shook her head. “No, I’m guessing it’s just someone else with the same name as your sister.”

“Okay, that makes sense.” Eli nodded.

“Next is Uni-san and Izetta-san who are both from Heart. Another band.” Honoka frowned before she realised one of them were missing. “They have another member called Raven-kun but he went away to talk to Akari-san.”

“Akari?” Hisa questioned followed by a long sigh. “Why am I not surprised? Anyway, It’s was nice to meet you but I have to find my little sister.”

“Bye, Hisa. Tell Itsuki I said hi.” Chrom waved as the older woman walked away. “So Saya. We still need to find a place for our blanket.”

“Why don’t you sit with us?” Nozomi inquired as she gently patted the grass besides her. “I’m sure there’s enough space here for Muse, Heart and Poppin' Party.”

“If you’re sure.” Chrom nodded and unfolded the blanket. It was a purple blanket with the Heart crest in the centre. “Are you going to get your band’s blanket. Kasumi?”

“Not yet.” Kasumi smiled and turned away towards the stage Poppin' Party were going to perform on. “Arisa and the others are still having their free time, you know. Meeting the fans we have.”

“Excuse me?”

Honoka turned around at the unfamiliar voice, surprised to see one of the competition’s workers a short distance behind them. “Yes?”

“There’s been a little bit of an error so Muse had been moved up. It’s now your turn to do your first performance.” The worker explained before he took a few steps away from them. “If you would all kindly follow me.”

Umi frowned for a moment and looked around. “Wait. Rin, Hanayo and Maki aren’t here yet.”

“Don’t worry about it.” The worker replied with a smile, his hands cupped together just in front of him. “You are not on yet. In about 1 hour so you still have time to wait for the rest of your band.”

Umi and Kotori turned towards each other and shrugged. “O-okay.”

\---

Honoka looked down and tightened her grip on the microphone, feeling as if she was going to drop it with how much she was sweating. Besides practice with the rest of Muse, this was the first time she had performed in front of anyone in over two years. 

She wondered if she was still good enough to be considered an idol. The last thing she wanted to do was embarise her friends again.

"Washi, washi!"

Honoka jumped at the familiar voice, letting out a small cry of fear as she felt hands grasp onto her breasts from behind. "What the...?!"

"Two years is a long time not to feel you, Honoka." Nozomi smirked, resting her head on Honoka's shoulder. She chuckled at Honoka's expression and quickly let go. "I'm kidding. I don't do that type of thing anymore. It's would be bad for a Psychologist to do that type of thing."

"Oh. I see...It looks like I'm the only member of Muse who stayed the same." Honoka muttered to herself as she leaned backwards against the wall.

"That's not true." Nozomi replied, crossing her arms. "You've become so much more mature since we've all been away from each other."

Honoka stayed quiet and looked down at the microphone. The Battle of Music was going to be the toughest competition Muse had ever, no, will ever be in. Heart and Poppin' Party were both exceptional bangs and they still had Aqours and Franchuchu to go.

"Honoka." Nozomi frowned, moving to Honoka's side. "You're not alone. We're all here with you. No matter what."

Honoka looked away as her bottom lip started trembling. "Don't make me cry, Nozomi-chan. My makeup will run."

"Okay." Nozomi smiled and gently moved the orange haired girl's head to her shoulder. "Then I'll stay with you until we go on."

Honoka nodded and lifted her head from Nozomi's shoulder for a moment, wiping her eyes before any tears appear. She closed her eyes and returned her head to the older idol's shoulder. "Thank you, Nozomi-chan."

"Anytime." Nozomi chuckled softly to herself. "It is my job after all."

Honoka nodded slowly. "Hey, Nozomi-chan. Am I too old to be an Idol?"

Nozomi frowned at the question and shook her head slowly. "Of course not. Well, you're too old to be a School Idol but so am I too."

"B-but what If I'm not good enough anymore." Honoka inquired, glancing towards the purple haired girl. "I...I don't want to embarrass anyone."

Nozomi nodded slowly so Honoka's head stayed on her shoulder. She smiled before bringing her hand to the top of Honoka's head, gently stroking her. "Your voice is amazing, Honoka. There is no way you're not good enough."

Honoka smiled and snuggled closer to Nozomi. "Thank you."

"No problem.” Nozomi smiled with a slight nod. “Let me know if you have any more worries." 

"Okay."

\---

"We're sorry we're late, Nya." Rin announced as she ran into the backstage area with Hanayo and Maki close behind her. She barely got the words out before all the other members of Muse who were already there shushed her. 

In the corner Nozomi sat on the floor, her hand stroking the top of Honoka's sleeping head. They could only assume that to make sure she wouldn't let the rest of Muse down again she had been putting herself through extra training when she was alone. "Poor Honoka."

"If she wants to cripple herself working too hard, let her." Nico shrugged, leaning against the wall.

Kotori turned around to Nico with a scowl on her face. "Nico! I know you don't mean that."

Nico facade faded away for a moment before the black haired idol turned away, crossing her arms. "Well, maybe I do. Whatever." 

“We should probably wake her up soon.” Eli turned towards the sleeping Honoka, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She had always known how cute Honoka looked when she slept.

“Go ahead then, Eli.” Umi gestured towards Honoka with a smile on her face. 

“Why do I have to do it?” Eli frowned and turned towards Umi, the two of glairing towards each other. It was clear to everyone else that there was still tension between the two Muse members even if the two in question didn’t think so. “You should do it. You’ve known her longer.”

“But you were the first choice for her so go ahead.” Umi retorted. The two idols glared at each other, both clearly trying to get one up on the other one.

“That’s ridiculous!” Eli scoffed at the news and turned to the sleeping Honoka. “It was clear that she wanted to be with you more. It’s why she never said she wanted to be with me.”

“Enough!” Maki yelled in irritation, the volume of her voice waking up Honoka. Honoka looked around in confusion as she noticed Maki stepping between Umi and Eli. “You two are both idiots. No one gives a damn about who Honoka liked more between the two of you. I came back because she wanted to be with us ALL. Not just Umi or not just Eli but All of us.” 

“Like a harem, nya?” Rin inquired with a disgusted look. 

“No.” Maki answered quickly.

Honoka was about to speak but hesitated, pretending she was asleep as Hanayo glanced over. It was just like two years ago all over again. Eli and Umi fighting over who Honoka loved more. Honoka let out a pretend long yawn and slowly stretched to the air, acting as if she had only just woken up. “Is everything okay?”

Maki glanced towards Eli and Umi before she nodded. “Yeah. We’re all just nervous about going back in front of an audience again.”

Honoka smile, choosing to ignore the fact Maki just lied to her. “Don’t worry, Maki-chan. It’s just like Nozomi-chan told me. “You’re not too old to be a school idol.”

Nozomi let out a long sigh as everyone else looked at Honoka in confusion. “No, Honoka-chan. I said, you were too old to be a school idol. You’re not too old to be just an idol.”

“Oh…” Honoka smiled, rubbing the back of her head. “Well, I knew it was something like that. Hahaha.”

Maki frowned in confusion still. “But that had nothing to do with what we were talking about.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Honoka smiled and turned towards the entrance to the stage. She took in a deep breath and glanced out of the curtains to the stage. The entire stage was packed with more people than she could count. “There are so many people. I’m so excited!”

“Excited?!” Eli questioned in a shocked tone. “I’m terrified.”

Honoka turned around at Eli’s admission and closed the distance between them, taking Eli’s hands in hers. “Don’t worry, Eli-chan. It’s just like Nozomi-chan said…”

Everyone except Honoka let out a long sigh at the mention of something Nozomi had said. They all knew that Nozomi was probably the wisest among them but they knew what Honoka was going to say. 

Honoka frowned at the group’s long sigh but ignored it. “You’re not too old to be a school idol.”

“But that’s has nothing...nevermind.” Eli smiled softly and shook her heads. “We better get out there.”

“Yeah!” Everyone yelled in unison, putting their hands together. They waited for a moment, all of them taking a deep breath before walking out onto the stage.

\---

“Yeah, Muse!” Kasumi cheared, jumping up and down with the rest of the crowd before she turned to Saaya next to her. “I can’t wait to see them live.”

Saaya nodded and smiled softly. “I haven’t seen you this excited in ages.”

“Yeah. This whole competition is just making me so excited. I’ve met so many people…” She trailed off as she noticed two people she had just been talking to recently. “Speaking of new people, Raven-kun and Izetta-san is over there.”

“Who?” Saaya inquired, recognizing one of them. She immediately remembered Izetta as soon as she saw Kasumi walking over to the two but the black haired boy was still a mystery. Kasumi had told her that there was another member of Heart who went away with that name so she assumed it was him. “Hello again, Izetta-san.”

Izetta frowned at the mention of her name and looked up from the notebook she had. “Oh. Hello again, Saaya chan.”

“Saya?” Raven questioned turning to the side. “You’ve changed since we last met.”

Saaya chuckled at the man’s comment, knowing that Heart had a Saya of their own. “No. I’m Yamabuki Saaya. It’s nice to meet you.”

“I’m Raven Evergreen and It’s nice to meet you too.” Raven smiled and nodded before turning back towards the stage, writing something into the notebook in his hand. “Did you see how she stepped?”

Kasumi and Saaya turned towards each other, both of them confused as to what they were doing. They were clearly taking notes on someone on stage but she had no idea who.

“What are you doing?” Kasumi inquired, moving between the two Heart members and glanced into their books. She was surprised to see Kotori’s name with notes about her under it. 

“We’re studying Uni-chan’s new girlfriend.” Izetta nodded as the two added another note to the book. “We just want to make sure she’s good for Uni-chan.”

Saaya couldn’t help but smile at the two Heart members. It was somehow sweet to see them looking out for their friend so much to make sure that the person Uni was dating was a good person. “That’s fair enough. Is...that the only reason you came?”

“No.” Raven and Izetta shook their heads quickly at the question.

“We also wanted to see them perform. Once they start, we’ll put our notebooks away.” Izetta smiled softly, gently nudging into Raven. “Isn’t that right, Raven?”

Raven nodded, returning his notebook to his pocket. “Yup. And my little sister told me I should watch the people after Muse too.”

“Shhh. It looks like they’re starting.” Kasumi added before getting a strange sense of Deja Vu. “I can’t wait!”

Saaya couldn’t help but smile at her friend’s excitement. She had known Kasumi for a long time but she was pretty sure that she had never seen Kasumi as excited as she was now.

\---

Honoka stopped singing with everyone else, all the members of Muse gathering in one spot for the end pose. The wait after the music stopped felt like an eternity of silence and even though she only had her hands on Kotori and Umi’s shoulders who were knelt down in front of her, she could still feel that they were all terrified. She smiled widely as the crowd erupted into cheers with a few audience members shouting for an another song. She knew that they weren’t allowed but she would have loved to sing another song, even if she could feel her heart beating in her throat.

“Thank you all for coming to see us!” Honoka put her hands to her side as the other members of Muse got to their feet, standing with Honoka in a line.

“We hope you all enjoyed yourselves!” 

The entirety of Muse spoke in unison before they all bowed towards the crowd. It had been the first time that they performed together in so long but it felt like old times so much so that they all instinctively waited until Honoka walked off the stage before they did.

Kotori turned to the side as she was about to leave and noticed Raven and Izetta, waving briefly at them as a kind of payback for when he waved at her. She frowned slightly in irritation as the black haired boy only smiled widely and franticly waved his hand towards her. It wasn’t the reaction she wanted. She wanted him to get embarrassed like she did.

“We did it, nya.” Rin yelled happily, bouncing around the backstage as if she had drank ten energy drinks. “It was just like old times.”

“Rin, calm down.” Nico commanded as she gripped down onto the younger idol’s shoulder’s, keeping her in place. “Geez, how many energy drinks have you had today?”

“5 so far.” Rin looked around in confusion at the shocked expressions on everyone’s faces. “What? Did you guys seriously think I was this hyper without the help of caffeine? You should see me in the morning, I’m like Nico-chan.”

Nico frowned at first in irritation before she shrugged, realising the orange haired girl was right. If she didn’t have three alarm clocks, she would probably never get out of bed. “Fair enough.”

Kotori frowned as she noticed Honoka had slipped away from the rest of the group and was standing at the edge of the backstage. She guessed the orange haired girl was looking out a the stage they were just performing on. “Honoka-chan?”

Honoka didn’t answer as she looked at the audience. She could see Kasumi, Saya, Raven and Izetta all standing in the audience with smiles on their faces. “Do you think we have a chance?”

Everyone was taken aback by Honoka’s sudden question with none of them sure how to reply. Honoka had pretty much just asked what they were all thinking. The competition was filled with great groups already like Poppin’ Party, Heart, Franchuchu and Aquors. Maybe there was more really good groups that they just hadn’t seen yet.

Kotori smiled and rested her hand on her best friend’s shoulder, squeezing slightly. “I don’t know. But it doesn’t matter.”

“Kotori-chan?” Honoka frowned in confusion and quickly turned to the ashen haired girl. 

Kotori smiled and moved her hands down so they were covering Honoka’s. “We didn’t come here to win...don’t get me wrong, it would be great to win. But we came here to perform together.”

“Kotori’s right.” Umi smiled and took a step forward, resting her hand on top of Kotori’s. “You came to get every single one of us personally.”

“She’s right, nya.” Rin hopped over to the three girls, placing her hand in the middle too. “You could have just asked me to ask Kyo-chin to join, but you didn’t. You came with me to get her.” 

Hanayo stepped forward, joining hands with Rin as she placed her hand sheepishly onto the four hands. “You came to get me and made me remember how great it was being an idol.”

Eli took a step forward, adding her hand to the group too. “You even came to get me and Umi. The two people asking to join would have been the most awkward for you.”

Umi chuckled at the statement and nodded. “You could say that again.”

“It’s just like I said before…” Nozomi chuckled to herself as she stepped forward, doing the same thing as everyone else. “You’re not too old to be an idol.”

Maki let out a long groan as she walked over, putting her hand onto the pile. “I swear if I never hear that sentence again it’ll be too soon.” Maki frowned slightly in irritation as she notice Honoka struggling to keep her laughter contained.

Nico let out a long groan as the other eight members of Muse turned towards her, expecting her to join. “What?”

“You know what, Nico.” Maki added, her frown changing targets to Nico instead of Honoka. “I did it, so you have to as well.”

“Urgh, fine. I did miss you all. There, I said it!” Nico reluctantly placed her hand into the pile of hands in a huff. “How long are we going to keep our hands here anyway?”

“Yeah, we can stop now. You all have sweaty hands.” Honoka smiled as the pile of hands separated, wiping her hand against her skirt. “We should go and wait for the results with Poppin’ Party and Heart.”

“Yeah…” Umi barely got the word out before something caught her attention to the side. She had felt like she was being watched for a while but chose not to question it because they were competitors. It would be natural for people to look at them. Her eyes fixed at a shadow of she could only guess was a buff looking woman nearby. 

“Come on, Umi-chan or we’ll leave you behind!” Honoka’s voice called out from a few meters away with the rest of Muse waiting with her at the exit.

Umi shrugged, choosing to believe it to be one of the workers of the competition. She couldn’t help her mind from second guessing it though, maybe because she was a reporter and uncovering secrets was what she was good at. “Don’t leave me!”

 

TBC...


End file.
